Empower, Don't Overpower: A Veterinary Leader's Guide to Letting Their Team Shine
"No one else can do it as well as I can". "It's faster if I do it myself". "I don't have time to teach or mentor". "It's safer this way".
Does any of this sound familiar?
A veterinary leader may (unknowingly) have various limiting beliefs that prompt them to step in and solve problems for people instead of empowering them to find their own solutions. Stepping in to 'save' a colleague has several consequences, such as stifling their creativity, limiting their growth opportunities, never mind overburdening yourself as the leader.
Leaders who ‘save’ instead of ‘serve’ are at risk of becoming a bottleneck for the practice, breaking trust by undermining people's abilities, and limiting autonomy to the point that it leads to staff turnover. It's easy to believe that by stepping in you are preventing mistakes, or ensuring there is a quick resolution to something, however in doing so a crucial opportunity is missed for growth and development within the team.
When you find yourself in a situation where you are tempted to step in, stop and ask yourself, "Am I serving, or am I saving here?" Check in with yourself and identify the feelings that are underneath this temptation to step in. If it's frustration, impatience, insecurity, lack of control, guilt, or pressure, then the likelihood is you want to save.
The feelings that lead to act of serving instead of saving are somewhat different, they are: patience, empathy and understanding for your colleague's challenges and wanting to offer support without taking over, feeling confident in your colleague's abilities to handle the situation, feelings of respect for your colleague's autonomy and competence, a sense of humility from recognising you don't always have all the answers, or indeed all the right answers, and that your colleagues perspectives and ideas are valuable too.
In recent months I completed some work with a Clinical Director based in south who was very experienced clinically having worked in both GP and referral settings. A member of his team was dealing with a challenging and complex medical case and had been working on the case for some time, but progress had been slow, and they were still struggling to determine the best course of action. Having worked together for several sessions at this point, this CD's self-awareness had risen to great heights. He knew that historically he would have stepped in to fix the problem by taking over the case entirely. This time, he caught himself in the moment, asked himself the question, "Am I serving or saving here?" and consciously made a different choice. Instead of directly taking over the case, the CD organised a meeting with the vet team to discuss the case and allowed everyone space to brainstorm and contribute ideas and potential treatment options. During this brainstorming session he saw many of his vet colleagues in a new light. He was surprised at their engagement in the problem-solving process, and the creativity in potential treatment options. The CD then encouraged the vet to use these findings to consult a specialist, and ultimately make their own decision.
Catching yourself in the moment to consciously assess whether you're serving or saving, and then adjusting your approach, requires a crazy amount of self-awareness, and a willingness to think and act differently to how you've thought and behaved before. Here are some tips to help you get started:
- Pause: When you notice the impulse to step in, develop the habit of pausing before acting.
- Have a go to list of empowering questions: Save them as a note on your phone, or write them on a post-it note.
- Am I acting out of genuine concern for my colleague’s growth and development?
- What skills and strengths does my colleague possess that make them capable of handling this challenge?
- What’s the long-term impact of empowering my colleague to find their own solution?
- What opportunities for growth and development am I denying my colleague by solving this for them?
- How would I want to be supported if I were in their position?
- Know your triggers: What situations or emotions tend to lead to you taking over? Understand those and you'll become more aware of your reactions and how you respond.
If you feel this might be a tough habit to break, working with a coach is an incredibly useful way to hold up a mirror to how you're showing up, what habits and behaviours you tend to indulge in, and unravel and compassionately tackle the mindset obstacles that are preventing you from embracing a more empowering leadership style.
Empower, Don't Overpower: Let Your Team Shine!
